This invention generally relates to the automated processing of bulk mail, and more particularly, to the identification of credit/debit cards contained in the mail which is to be processed.
A variety of organizations customarily receive mail in large quantities and in bulk form, and a number of devices have been developed to facilitate the handling of such mail so as to enhance productivity. One such productivity aid is generally characterized by devices which are used for receiving mail (i.e., envelopes) in bulk form, and for extracting contents (i.e., documents) from such envelopes for subsequent processing. This may simply include an extraction of documents from envelopes, for subsequent processing making use of other devices, or by hand. However, such extraction may further include sorting procedures for directing only specified types of envelopes to the extraction apparatus and/or orienting procedures for organizing the extracted documents prior to their further processing. An example of a comprehensive apparatus of this generally type is the OPEX SYSTEM 100, which is manufactured by Opex Corporation of Moorestown, N.J.
Another such productivity aid is generally characterized by devices for receiving mail (i.e., envelopes) in bulk form, and for analyzing the envelopes which are received to identify those envelopes having contents (i.e., documents) which are to be subjected to special handling. Often, this includes an identification of envelopes containing only an invoice and a corresponding check for its payment, in-order to expedite the processing of such documents so that the checks may enter the banking system as soon as possible. However, other sorting functions may similarly be accomplished to identify the orientation of documents contained within the envelopes and/or to identify envelopes containing credit/debit cards which have been enclosed by the sender for various reasons. Steps can then be taken to sort the series of envelopes according to their detected characteristics. An example of a comprehensive apparatus of this general type is the OPEX MPS-30, which is manufactured by Opex Corporation of Moorestown, N.J.
To achieve their desired function, the above-described extraction devices and sorting devices are often called upon to identify envelopes containing credit/debit cards which have been returned by the sender for various reasons. At times, these cards are returned intact. At other times, these cards are returned in severed form, either due to the preferences of the sender, or responsive to the instructions of the card-issuing entity. In either case, it is important to identify envelopes containing credit/debit cards, or their remnants, in order to remove them from the mail processing operation. This is important for reasons of security, and because the automated processing of such mail in bulk form is generally inappropriate (there is no need to expedite their processing and the card or card pieces can compromise the machinery which follows).
Previously, this was accomplished by measuring the thickness of the envelopes passing through the apparatus, to identify envelopes having a thickness which exceeds a preselected threshold. This is often sufficient to distinguish envelopes containing credit/debit cards from envelopes containing other document combinations (i.e., document combinations comprised of an invoice and a check). Identified envelopes are then removed from the mail being processed by an appropriate sorting device. An example of a thickness measuring device of this type, and an associated sorting device, is disclosed with reference to U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,037, and the scanning and sorting stations which are described, the subject matter of which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
However, as previously indicated, other sorting procedures are often employed to identify other parameters associated with the envelopes to be handled, such as to identify the orientation of checks and documents contained within the envelopes which are to be processed. Such devices generally operate to magnetize special ink markings provided on the documents which are contained within the envelopes (e.g., the magnetic ink markings on conventional checks and bank drafts) and to thereafter subject the magnetized ink markings to a detection process which operates to identify the orientation of such documents, even as the documents remain in their surrounding envelope. An example of such a device is disclosed with reference to U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,190, the subject matter of which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
In addition to identifying the orientation of documents contained within the envelopes, it was discovered that such detection devices could also identify the magnetic stripe which is conventionally provided on most credit/debit cards for account identifying purposes (or the remaining stripe segments in the event of a severed card). This suggested the possibility of using the orientation determining device to identify envelopes containing credit/debit cards for sorting purposes. However, the implementation of such a device was found to be somewhat less than reliable since it was found that the signals produced by the magnetic stripe or stripe portions of a credit/debit card could at times closely resemble other implements possibly contained in the envelopes such as metallic paper clips or the like.
It therefore became of interest to develop a more reliable means for identifying credit/debit cards contained within envelopes being handled by a mail processing apparatus employing those devices which were previously only employed to identify the orientation of documents within the envelopes.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for reliably identifying envelopes containing a credit/debit card.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for reliably identifying the magnetic stripe of a credit/debit card which is contained within an envelope.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for reliably identifying the magnetic stripe of a credit/debit card employing existing devices useful in identifying the orientation of documents contained with the envelopes.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for reliably identifying the magnetic stripe of a credit/debit card while within an envelope which is adaptable to existing mail processing equipment including devices for extracting contents from envelopes and devices for sorting envelopes according to desired characteristics.
These and other objects are achieved in accordance with the present invention by providing a system which subjects an envelope with unspecified contents to a xe2x80x9cmagnetic imagingxe2x80x9d device which operates to identify magnetic indicia associated with the contents of the envelopes in order to identify the orientation of contents within the envelopes and/or to identify magnetic indicia indicative of the magnetic stripe of a credit/debit card or its remnants, in addition to subjecting the envelopes to a second detection device (e.g., a thickness measuring device or a metal detecting device) which can then verify whether the indicia indicative of a magnetic stripe signify the presence of a credit/debit card or some other stimulus such as a paper clip or the like. With such verification, an accurate and reliable identification of envelopes containing credit/debit cards is enabled employing magnetic imaging techniques which were previously not sufficiently reliable to do so. What is more, such assurances are provided employing detection devices which are already in use in conjunction with many of the bulk mail processing systems which are presently commercially available. Similar assurances can be provided by employing a thickness measuring device and a metal detecting device, in operative combination (with or without the addition of a magnetic imaging device).
Alternatively, the magnetic imaging device may be deleted in favor of a thickness measuring device which, through additional processing, operates to remove subsequent analyses from the time domain in order to achieve a more reliable determination of the contents of an envelope, in less time. Such techniques are applicable to the detection of credit/debit cards contained within the envelopes which are to be processed, as well as the detection of other articles which such envelopes might contain, such as folded documents and the like.
For further detail regarding the article-detecting devices of the present invention, reference is made to the detailed description which is provided below, taken in conjunction with the following illustrations.